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Wednesday, September 17, 2014

Chapel Springs Revival

Ane isn't a local writer and the story doesn't take place in either of the Carolinas, but it does fit my idea of Front Porch Fiction. Plus, Ane is a mentor, and hey, Georgia does touch both states, so here we go!

Chapel Springs Revival

With a friend like Claire, you need a gurney, a mop, and a guardian angel.

Everybody in the small town of Chapel Springs, Georgia,
knows best friends Claire and Patsy. It's impossible not to, what with Claire's
zany antics and Patsy's self-appointed mission to keep her friend out of
trouble. And trouble abounds. Chapel Springs has grown dilapidated and the
tourist trade has slackened.

With their livelihoods threatened, they join
forces to revitalize the town. No one could have guessed the real issue needing
restoration is their marriages.
With their personal lives in as much disarray as the town,
Claire and Patsy embark on a mission of mishaps and miscommunication,
determined to restore warmth to Chapel Springs —and their lives. That is if
they can convince their husbands and the town council, led by two curmudgeons
who would prefer to see Chapel Springs left in the fifties and closed to
traffic.

My thoughts on the story: With deft humor that reminded me of Erma Bombeck, Ane Mulligan brings to
life the characters and town of Chapel Springs, Georgia, and touches on
issues many long-term marriages face. An excellent debut novel and, I
hope, the first of many Chapel Springs stories.

About Ane:
While a large, floppy straw hat is
her favorite, bestselling novelist Ane Mulligan has worn many different ones:
hairdresser, legislative affairs director (that's a fancy name for a lobbyist),
drama director, playwright, humor columnist, and novelist. Her lifetime
experience provides a plethora of fodder for her Southern-fried fiction. She
firmly believes coffee and chocolate are two of the four major food groups. President
of the award-winning literary site, Novel Rocket, Ane resides in Suwanee, GA,
with her artist husband, her chef son, and two dogs of Biblical proportion.